Suppose you find oneself a lost iPhone . Because you are a somebody of strong moral fiber and respectable grapheme — you must be , if you are readingMacworld — you desire to avail the poor , heartbroken multitouch devotee who yearn for this misplaced gimmick . So all you have to do is just figure out who possess the phone , get it back to the grateful proprietor , and feel the warm freshness that comes from having done a good human activity for the daylight .
sound pretty basic , right ? Sometimes , it can be , but often get a mislaid iOS machine back to its rightful owner can be a pile more complicated than it go — especially if the earphone has a passcode lock in place . How to do the correct matter when security measure stand up in your way ?
We ’ll take on some of the whole tone you could take should that scenario occur . But first , let ’s handle the easier berth .
Tap on the name in the To line to see if the iPhone’s owner has a Contracts entry for himself.
If you find an iPhone without a passcode
Unsecured iPhones are easy to revert . ( On the downside — to the original owner , at least — they’re also a portion easier to stag through . )
Tap on the name in the To furrow to see if the iPhone ’s possessor has a Contracts entering for himself .
To recall the iPhone to its rightful possessor , your first step will be figuring out that possessor ’s name . You could depend up the earpiece ’s number and call it and hear to the voicemail , but an easier option may postulate launching the Mail app . Launch Mail , and tap into a subject matter . unluckily , this will work well with a message that looks like it ’s more personal than , say , an e-mail newssheet or other bulk message . If you see Details at the upper right of the message you ’re looking at — opposite the From name — solicit it . Now , you should see the To line , which should let in your phone owner ’s name . ( If there are multiple recipients , tip back and seek a dissimilar subject matter . )
Scroll above the first listings in the iPhone’s address book to find the owner’s phone number. Then search for that number in the address book to identify the owner’s identity.
Tapping on the receiver ’s name should open up their own personal Contacts phonograph recording , which may well contain other phone numbers , e-mail addresses , and other detail . you could use any of that entropy to connect with the phone ’s proprietor .
Scroll above the first listings in the iPhone ’s destination Word of God to find the owner ’s phone number . Then search for that number in the address book to key out the owner ’s identity .
If you sense uncomfortable tapping into the stranger ’s inbox to regain his or her indistinguishability , there ’s a recollective approach ; where you go down on the public lavatory vs. effort - expect - to - wait on - a - stranger axis is a personal decisiveness . The longer route : set up the Phone app and pat on Contacts . Pull down to swipe above the alphabetised A section , above the search box , and you ’ll see the proprietor ’s phone act . Memorize or jot down the numeral , and then tap the computer keyboard icon to start dialing the telephone number as if you wanted to call the phone itself . ( The act vanishes when you tapdance into the Search area , but you could cancel your hunting to see the number again . ) After you tap in the number — even before you exploit to aim the call — the owner ’s name should look below the turn . At that point , you could receive that name in the Contacts list and then use substitute numbers or electronic mail address to reach out to the individual .
If you’ve found a lost iPhone 4S, perhaps Siri can help you find the rightful owner. Press and hold the Home button, and (if prompted), try expressions like ‘Call my wife’ or ‘Call my husband.’
It ’s potential that the proprietor wo n’t have a personal record in the iPhone ’s address Scripture . That make your job tougher . Now , the easiest thing to do might be — still within the Phone app — to tap on Recents and look at frequently list numbers ; trying one of them may put you in contact with someone who can help you find the owner . you could also use the Mail app to email the owner by looking at the From name and address you ’re institutionalize from , and sending a message to that same destination .
One final option is to look for the Contacts listing for the word ICE , often written in all - caps . ICE , an acronym forIn Case of Emergency , is a label that folks sometimes add together to their emergency physical contact ; first responder and hospitals fuck to count for such contacts and reach out to them if a phone ’s owner is unable to do so . The pinch touch should be well - equipped to put you in contact with the telephone set ’s owner .
If you find a locked iPhone
This is a much trickier position . Since you ca n’t unlock the sound , you ca n’t stab around in the style trace above to obtain the owner ’s middleman data . But you do have alternative .
The first is to halt down the house button for a few second , which may — depending on the proprietor ’s phone preferences — trip either Siri or Voice Control . In either shell , when motivate by the beep , say , “ Call ICE . ” If the earpiece ’s possessor has an glass contact as described above , the phone will either set off call that person correctly away or expect you to clarify which numeral to call ( as in , Home , Mobile , Work , etc ) . If you luck out and tie with the emergency contact , you may explain the spot to that soul .
If you ’ve found a lost iPhone 4S , perhaps Siri can help you observe the rightful owner . conjure and hold the Home button , and ( if motivate ) , adjudicate formula like ‘ Call my wife ’ or ‘ Call my hubby . ’
If it ’s an iPhone 4S and the owner has n’t change the privateness preferences , you’re able to try speaking a few of Siri ’s more advanced options to find the great unwashed cheeseparing to the proprietor , too : “ Call my wife , ” “ Call my married man , ” “ Call my sister , ” “ Call my father , ” and the like just might turn .
But if the phone wo n’t listen — or if the phone listens and still ca n’t help you — you’re not whole out of luck . Unfortunately , however , neither Apple nor the carrier associate with the telephone set will likely be able to aid you bump the owner , thanks to secrecy limitation on sharing the third party ’s personal data .
That leave just one option : look . If you could , plug the earpiece in on occasion to keep it running and online . The possessor may well assay to call the telephone set , or a friend might . And if you keep the sound power on , there ’s a prospect the original owner will use notice My iPhone to send a content with striking information to the phone ’s screen .
Call the police
you may also turn to your local police department . Manalapan , N.J. , police ship’s officer Joe Felicia toldMacworldthat after you turn a get hold telephone into the police , “ if the possessor responds to the police station and can key the phone , the law department will return the phone to the owner . If not , the phone will go in a bin with hundreds of other phones . ”
Felicia said that he he sees “ no problems ” with trying to research the phone to turn up the proprietor , if “ it is being done in right faith . ” The one apprehension : “ If you are searching the phone and you stumble onto something that is manifestly illegal … the speech sound would go directly to the police force . ”
If you don’t want this to happen to you
You do n’t want to lose your iPhone , and you do n’t intend to — but you should still organise for that sad theory . Preparing your iPhone so that you could easily reunify with it should you become separate is actually evenhandedly leisurely :
Put a contact numeral on your iPhone lock covert : If you lock your iPhone , you’re able to still give people a elbow room to contact you should you become separated from your smartphone . Just make a custom image featuring extra contact data in your favorite image editor .
Now , your contact information will seem whenever anyone obtain your telephone — even if it ’s locked . Good Samaritans should thus be able to adjoin you if they find your misplaced iPhone .
Add the methamphetamine recording label to your emergency contact(s ): This can prove utile inother way , too . To add the label , found the Phone app , tap Contacts , and then tap your desire contact . Tap the Edit push button at the upper right-hand recess , and add ICE — literally those three letters in all crownwork — to the someone ’s last name , and then knock Done .
Enable Find My iPhone : With iOS 5 , this iseasier than everas part of iCloud . Just go to configurations - > iCloud , and slide the Find My iPhone slider at the bottom of the screen to On . Once you turn on bump My iPhone , you’re able to use any Web web internet browser ( or other iOS gadget ) to locate your wayward iPhone , beam a subject matter to its screen , or — as a list - ditch move — remotely wipe your data off it .
And here ’s advice straight from Apple : “ If an iPhone or iPad is stolen , we advocate that customer cover the thievery to local police enforcement and immediately reach their wireless supplier to ensure service is suspended and unauthorized activity is limited . ”
Apple also take down that the freeFind My iPhone featurecan be used to locate telephone set that are either missing or stolen . find oneself My iPhone can pinpoint your lacking twist on a map , have it play a sound , or expose a message require anyone who finds it to adjoin you . “ If you do n’t find your machine right away , you could help protect your information until you get it back with the Remote Lock feature , or use Remote Wipe to wipe out your personal data from your gimmick and protect your privacy , ” Apple adds .
[ Lex Friedman is a Macworld staff writer . ]
